The present invention relates generally to a cleaning apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a retainer clip for a squeegee assembly that allows the squeegee assembly to detach or “break away” from the cleaning apparatus upon contact with an obstruction so as to prevent damage to the squeegee or to its mounting structure.
Industrial and commercial floors are cleaned on a regular basis for aesthetic and sanitary purposes. There are many types of industrial and commercial floors ranging from hard surfaces such as concrete, terrazzo, wood, and the like, which can be found in factories, schools, hospitals, and the like, to softer surfaces such as carpeted floors found in restaurants and offices. Different types of floor cleaning equipment such as scrubbers, sweepers, and extractors, have been developed to properly clean and maintain these different floor surfaces.
A typical scrubber is a walk-behind or drivable, self-propelled, wet process machine that applies a liquid cleaning solution from an onboard cleaning solution tank onto the floor through nozzles fixed to a forward portion of the scrubber. Rotating brushes forming part of the scrubber rearward of the nozzles agitate the solution to loosen dirt and grime adhering to the floor. The dirt and grime become suspended in the solution which is collected by a vacuum squeegee fixed to a rearward portion of the scrubber and deposited into an onboard recovery tank.
Scrubbers are very effective for cleaning hard surfaces. Unfortunately, debris on the floor can clog the vacuum squeegee, and thus, the floor should be swept prior to using the scrubber. Therefore, sweepers are commonly used to sweep a floor prior to using a scrubber. A typical sweeper is a self-propelled, walk-behind or drivable dry process machine that picks debris off a hard or soft floor surface without the use of liquids. The typical sweeper has rotating brushes which sweep debris into a hopper or “catch bin.”
Combination sweeper-scrubbers have also been developed that provide the sweeping and scrubbing functionalities in a single unit.
In a typical squeegee assembly used to collect dirty solution from a floor surface, the front and rear blades of the squeegee are always in contact with the floor surface so that any liquid on the floor surface is exposed to, picked up, and carried by airflow in the squeegee assembly. The rear blade in particular is provided with sufficient downward force to bend the blade outward so that only one edge of the blade engages the floor surface. Exemplary squeegee assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,254,867, U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,207, U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,429, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,519,808.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one exemplary squeegee assembly 10 of the prior art. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the squeegee assembly 10 generally includes a front flexible blade 12, a rear flexible blade 14, a support 16, and a suction tube 18 structured for connection to a vacuum source. The front and rear flexible blades 12 and 14 extend from a bottom side of the support 16, and are structured and designed to contact a floor surface. An upper end 20 of the suction tube 18 extends from a top side 22 of the support 16. Also extending from the top side 22 of the support 16 are connection means 24 for connecting the squeegee assembly 10 to a surface cleaning machine.
In operation, the squeegee assembly 10 may be coupled to a surface cleaning machine by the connection means 24 such that the front blade 12 is oriented with respect to the forward movement of the surface cleaning machine. Solution tends to pass through openings or slots in the front blade 12 or underneath the front blade 12 and is not directed to travel past the ends of the squeegee assembly.
The connection means 24 is typically a threaded fastener type mechanism having a vertical post (not shown) that slides into an open-ended channel 26 of a mounting plate 27 on the back end of the surface cleaning machine as more clearly illustrated in FIG. 2. When the vertical post is inserted into the open-ended channel 26, the connection means 24 is tightened so as to “sandwich” the open-ended channel 26 between the top side 22 of the squeegee assembly support 16 and the connection means 24.
FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative connection means in the form of a locking lever 28. The locking lever 28 may include a vertical post portion that is structured to be received within an open-ended channel 29 as described above with regard to FIG. 2.
Although numerous connection means exist for connecting a squeegee assembly to a surface cleaning machine, such prior art designs do not reliably allow the squeegee assembly to detach or “break away” from the machine to which it is attached upon contact with an obstruction. As appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is not uncommon for a squeegee assembly to “hit” fixed objects such as doorways, posts, or the like during operation. However, contact with such fixed objects or obstructions risks damage to the squeegee assembly and/or surface cleaning machine if the squeegee assembly is unable to detach upon application of a sufficient amount of force.
Thus, there is a need for an improved connection means for releasably connecting a squeegee assembly to a surface cleaning machine.